Chapter Six: Cat and Mouse

Hestia shuffled a bit in her seat to try and gain some confidence, but she had very little left. The brooding man before her simply continued to stare deeply at her, yet it seemed as if he was staring straight through her. It made goosebumps prickle upon her arms as she looked into the never ending darkness of his chocolate brown eyes. The heat from his knees crept up against her, and she fought a shiver. How could someone with a demeanor so cold be so warm? After her shifting subsided, she looked towards her food still sitting, barely picked at, on the table. Then her eyes traveled the length of the desk until they were gazing out through the window. People passed by the one way glass, but even if they could see in no one would come to her rescue. That was just how Gotham was. Everyone was on their own, even if they thought they had those they could trust.

She thought back to the mountain city she had lived in during medical school. It was so much calmer and peaceful there. It was small enough to where you could still leave your doors unlocked, but Hestia never did. She always had worries of someone barging in and leaving her to die in their wake. Her fingers had been fumbling against her lap as she continued to drift away from her current predicament. She knew how to escape. It was all in her mind. It was a great tool that she had picked up after living in Gotham. She began to discover its usefulness when her parents would argue, when the dishes would get broken, when her mother would plead for mercy. She used it to escape bullies in school and the mean girls that would make fun of her hair in high school. She escaped her first relationship, and she even used it to escape her fiancé before.

She continued to drift further until she was six years old. The wind whipped through her hair as she peddled her bike down the street, the sun warm against her cheeks. It was her favorite birthday, because her parents didn't fight and she was allowed to go to the park to meet up with some friends. Her parents had even given her ice cream money, not only for her, but for her friends as well. She had spent most of that day climbing trees and playing make believe, but it was the swings that really made it special. Usually she never got to use the swings, but on that day, they were hardly used and so she took them for her own. The squeaking of the bar above, the wind pushing through her hair as she closed her eyes and leaned back. It was almost as if she were actually flying. She stayed until just before dark, that way she could ride her bike and be home right as the streetlights kicked on for the evening.

Hestia wasn't sure how long she had been traveling when Zsasz's hand moved towards her. It stopped on her shoulder and he abruptly shook her. "Well? What happened to your parents?"

"They uh. They were shot outside a restaurant." She stuttered as she rubbed her eyes to help her focus back on her present world. "They both died at the scene, and a few others were wounded as well." She dropped her hands back down to her lap before she stood abruptly to get away from Zsasz's warmth. She paced back and forth, but made sure she stayed far enough from the door so that she didn't rile him up any further. Given his stature and the swift motions he had already displayed she had no doubt that he could quickly catch up to her and over power her. She knew that it was his physique that kept him employed, along with a few of his other attributes.

Zsasz kept his eyes on her as she paced back and forth. He kept very close attention to every movement she made, from the way her chest moved gently with each breath, to the way her hand was playing with her face. Her socked feet made little noise as she passed over the tiled floor. She looked tired in way Zsasz recognized. He had once been tired like that too, until he found his calling in life. She had stopped to look out the window again, her arms wrapping around her front as if she were giving herself a hug. Her hands cupped the opposite elbow and she held herself tightly. He grew curious as she stared out the window. What could she be looking for? Was she waiting for someone?

He moved his gaze out of the window, but all he saw were the passing citizens and vehicles. Occasionally a bird would fly pass, but he didn't see whatever it was that she saw. It was because Hestia was retreating back into her mind. Instead this time, she remembered the last meal with her parents. She had insisted on sitting outside since it was such a lovely day. The first day of spring, and the restaurant had introduced a menu. She remembered the tangy lemon mix from her grilled chicken as her teeth ground it up into mush before she swallowed it. The water was particularly crisp from the added cucumbers, and she remembered the veggies in her salad being so fresh. Her father had ordered some sort of steak dish, while her mother ordered seafood. Her fiancé had ordered some type of sandwich.

The table tops were each decorated in a soft, lacey tablecloth in the color of snow. She remembered the texture of it on her fingertips, so gently and silky. It was a sunny day, but there was a breeze that was just gentle enough to keep the day cool. She hadn't spoken much that meal, but maybe she should have since it had been their last.

This time Hestia jumped from her thoughts as a familiar song echoed through the room. Zsasz stared at her a moment longer before slipping his nimble fingers into his front pocket. "Hello, Don Falcone. Dr. Zaqar said she's coming around to the deal you discussed with her. I'll get it done." With that, he closed his phone again and stood before making his way to her. "He wants to see you. Will you behave? I don't feel like carrying you out to the car."

She simply turned and began to walk towards the hall. She could still back out of the deal by running off as soon as they were outside. She could leave Gotham and never return. She shook her head and before she could stop herself, an audible "No," echoed past her lips. She quickly bit her lower lip to quiet herself as Zsasz shot a look at her.

He kept his pace even with her as his arm suddenly shot out and snaked itself around her hips. "Dr. Zaqar, it might end pretty badly if you start to misbehave now. I wouldn't have to shoot you and leave you lying out in the alley way. It would save Don Falcone some money, however, he would be very disappointed should you die." He suddenly stopped her to stand in front of her, his eyes looking down towards her. "I could always say that you tried to escape, so I had to kill you, but you wouldn't actually be dead, I would just take you home and make you wish you were."

"Mr. Zsasz, you don't need to threaten me any further. I am already complying…I was simply thinking out loud is all." She kept trying to avoid his gaze. Something about it provoked these strange emotions in her, and it left her feeling confused. He seemed to be pleased with this answer as suddenly continued back on their journey. He led her out to a dark vehicle and he reached out to open the door. She slid into the backseat without any fuss, but she was unable to see the driver. However, she had a good idea of who it was. Had he really waited all that time?

The ride was silent as Hestia escaped into her mind again. Occasionally she would return to feel the burning stare of her cab buddy. She began to feel nauseous as she realized the type of deal she was entering into, but she simply inhaled sharply to keep those feelings down. After an eternity, the vehicle came to a smooth stop, and Zsasz exited quietly from his side of the car. He walked around and opened her door again, his hand there to help her out. Her feet became soaked as she stepped in a puddle, the water engulfing her socks. She waited for Zsasz to keep walking, and she followed him. Their driver had managed to catch up with them, and her eyes moved to her left to see who it was. Her suspicions were confirmed as Oswald's anxious eyes examined her.

Was he looking for any injuries? She didn't care as they continued their walk into an unknown building. It looked expensive, and there was some sort of opera music coming from an open window as they made their way up the drive way. Zsasz opened the door and stepped aside to allow them entry, and Hestia was met by a smiling Fish Mooney, her face mimicking that of Alice's Cheshire Cat. Hestia's stomach leapt into her throat, but she managed to keep herself from throwing up. She was really going through with this. They entered what must be some sort of study and she was once again sat down in front of a desk. Zsasz walked over and stood to the side of the desk as Falcone puffed from a cigar between his thin lips.

"How will I be able to tell Maroni's men from yours?" Hestia asked as she sat up straight in her seat.

A low musing came from the depths of Falcone's throat as he seemed to ponder this. "We'll give them a code word to identify themselves with."

Hestia openly scoffed before clearing her throat. "A password? You of all people know how quickly word spreads around Gotham. Maroni's men will know what to say before I even get back to my clinic." She began to consider that she may possibly have an upper hand.

Oswald looked nervously around the room, his hands playing with the inner linings of his pockets. She shot a quick glance towards him, and they locked eyes for a moment. Oswald could see the threat in her eyes, and he quickly looked towards the floor. Zsasz caught this exchange, and he made a mental note of it. "I will have some of my guys pose as some of your nurses. They'll know the difference. After all, you do seem short staffed lately. It would be good protection for you as well."

She inhaled sharply to control the levels of venom that might drip from her words. "Your guys aren't medically trained, are they?"

"No, but they can follow directions, which you will learn to do too." He looked towards Zsasz before moving his gaze back towards her.

"Are you going to continue to threaten me with him? Just take me out back and shoot me if it's that big of a deal, Carmine."

Zsasz made a movement as if he was going to strike her, but Falcone raised a hand. "Don't worry about it Victor, relax." He lowered his hand down to a drawer and held out a folder towards her. "I think I might have something better than empty threats, Dr. Zaqar—" he leaned forward slightly, "go on, take it."

Hestia leaned forward hastily and snatched the folder from his grasp. She opened it and briefly skimmed over the contents before slamming it shut. Anger began to boil under her skin, and she shot a heavy look at Oswald. "You spineless—"

"He had his reasons to divulge this information to me, Dr. Zaqar, and I would hate for it to end up in the wrong hands."

Zsasz had a piqued interest in the folder, but it was none of his business. He simply watched Oswald's body language as it shrunk him into something smaller than he was. Oswald also made a very pointed attempt to avoid Hestia's gaze as it began to pierce through him. "So do I sign a contract? Do we do a blood pact? How does this go?" Her arms had crossed tightly over her chest and she wanted so badly to escape back into her mind.

"I will supply your clinic with the necessities. Victor will come by periodically to collect your inventory list. We'll have anonymous donors funneling money to you. In return, I place five of my guys into every shift, and you continue business as usual. It'll hurt Maroni because he'll have to go to the back alley doctors who never made it through medical school. A lot of his men will suffer. It is just business."

She chewed on her bottom lip before standing. She held a hand out to Falcone. "May I at least have men with some medical experience?"

Falcone took her hand in his in a firm shake. "I'll see what I can arrange." Moments later she was being led back out to the car, Zsasz's firm grasp on her elbow. Oswald walked slowly behind them to avoid her as she climbed into the back seat. She pulled her knees up to her chest as her head rested against the window. She needed to escape down her memory lane.